To make content always look bigger or smaller when you read objects, type the percentage by which you want to enlarge or reduce it at "Zoom" in your preferences.

A value less than 100% shrinks content; greater than 100% enlarges content.

This preference only affects the size as you view it. The original size is used when content is printed.

To temporarily change the magnification for a particular object, choose or enter the magnification using the zoom control on the status bar. The next time you open this object, it will display at your default magnification.

You can copy content from another message, document, or an external file created in another application. You can also copy text from web pages. There are two ways to do this:

• copy the content to the clipboard and paste it into the body of your new object as you normally do in your operating system

• select the content, then Control-drag (Windows) or Option-drag (Mac) it to the body of your new object.

If you just drag content from an unsent message, a document which you are allowed to edit, or an external file, you will move it instead of copying it.

If you want to copy all content from an external file that is in a format FirstClass recognizes, you can drag the file, unopened, to the body of your new object. This copies the content rather than moving it, so the external file remains unchanged.

You can also drag a file in a format not recognized by FirstClass into your content. In this case, FirstClass will display a placeholder.

To control the format in which FirstClass pastes content:

1 Copy the content to the clipboard.

2 Click where you want to paste the content.

3 Choose Edit > Paste Special.

4 Choose the format you want.

You can also paste copied content as plain text (no formatting). Any embedded files are represented by their file names. To paste as plain text, choose Edit > Paste Plain Text.

FirstClass works in a similar manner to most word processing software. For example, you can change the margins for all the content, and format paragraphs and selected text.

In FirstClass, you can select text in the standard ways used by your operating system. These are some of the ways you can select text:

• drag the cursor over a block of text

• double-click a word to select it

• click a paragraph to select it

• triple-click a paragraph to select it and all of the content within it

• choose Edit > Select All to select all content.

You can also use standard editing functions such as copy, cut, and paste on your content.

To move content (such as text or a picture) from one place to another within the same object, select it, then drag it to the desired location. If you press Control (Windows) or Option (Mac) as you drag, you will copy the content instead of moving it.

Undoing editing changes

Immediately after you have made a change in the body, you can undo it by choosing Edit > Undo Operation.

Redoing editing

To redo editing that you have just undone, choose Edit > Redo Operation.

Undoing all changes

Remember that if you are working on an object that you created and saved previously, you can undo all changes that you have made while this object was open by choosing Edit > Revert to Saved. This affects content as well as information in the envelope.

FirstClass checks spelling based on the spell checking options in your preferences. Hyphenated words are checked as separate words.

You can also set your preferences so that FirstClass checks the spelling of every message when you send it.

If FirstClass encounters a word it doesn't know, it opens the Spell Checker form. This form contains choices for handling the word.

To spell check

Do this

all text in both the envelope and body

Choose Edit > Check Spelling with the object open.

part of the text in the body

Select that part before choosing Edit > Check Spelling.

part of the text in the envelope

Select that part, then choose Edit > Spell Check Selection.

Note

If FirstClass checks spelling when you send a message, all text is checked, even if you have some text selected.

To spell check content that is in a foreign language, choose the language at "Language" under "Options" on the Spell Checker form. Languages are named with their ISO codes, so, for example, fr means French. Keep in mind that if you change the language, then click Save Options, that language becomes your default language for spell checking.

You can format paragraphs as a series of bullet points in a list. Each paragraph starts with a bullet, which is displayed automatically when you start a new paragraph right after a bullet paragraph. When you are finished your list, simply turn off bullets.

You can use the default bullet appearance and indentation or customize your own.

To make a selected paragraph bulleted using the default bullet, choose Format > Bulleted List. To turn off bullets, choose this menu command again.

To customize bullets:

1 Select the paragraph.

2 Choose Format > Format Paragraphs.

You can change the paragraph indentation on this form.

3 Select "Use bullet", if this paragraph isn't already bulleted.

4 Specify the number of pixels you want between the bullet and the rest of the paragraph at "Spacing".

You can select any content (for example, text or an embedded picture) and save that content's formatting as a temporary style that is available for reuse until you quit the client. All formatting applicable to the selection is saved, including paragraph formatting.

Saving a temporary style

1 Select the content that has the formatting you want to save.

If you are only interested in the paragraph formatting, you still have to select something, rather than just clicking within the paragraph. Remember that you will be saving the text/picture formatting as well.

2 Choose Format > Sample Current Style.

You can change the saved style during your current client session by repeating these steps.

Applying the saved style

1 Select the content to which you want to apply the saved style.

To apply the saved paragraph formatting, you must select the entire paragraph. Remember that you will also be applying any saved text/picture formatting.

To change the width of any column, position the cursor over the right border of the column. Drag the column border when the cursor turns into a double-ended arrow.

Tip

If you want one column to stay the same size, but allow the other columns to resize with the window, make that column a fixed width and the others a percent.

Adding rows

To insert a row

Do this

above a selected row

Choose Edit > Table > Insert Rows.

below a selected row

Choose Edit > Table > Insert Rows After.

Tips

To insert more than one row, select the number of rows that corresponds to the number of rows you want to add.

Adding columns

To insert a column

Do this

to the left of a selected column

Choose Edit > Table > Insert Columns.

to the right of a selected column

Choose Edit > Table > Insert Columns After.

Tip

To insert more than one column, select the number of columns that corresponds to the number of columns you want to add.

Moving rows and columns

To move a row or column:

1 Select the row or column.

2 Choose Edit > Cut.

3 Click the row below where you want the row inserted, or the column to the right of where you want the column inserted.

4 Choose Edit > Paste.

Deleting rows and columns

To delete

Do this

a selected row

Choose Edit > Table > Delete Rows.

a selected column

Choose Edit > Table > Delete Columns.

Tip

To delete the contents of cells without deleting the cells themselves, select the rows or columns (or the contents of the entire table, but not the table itself), then press Delete.

Merging cells

You can merge two or more selected cells in a row or a column. The borders between merged cells are removed, and the cells are combined so that there is just one content area that spans all merged cells.

To

Do this

create one column out of all selected columns

Choose Edit > Table > Merge Columns.

create one row out of all selected rows

Choose Edit > Table > Merge Rows.

Splitting merged cells

To

Do this

revert to the original number of columns

Choose Edit > Table > Split Columns.

revert to the original number of rows

Choose Edit > Table > Split Rows.

Working with multipage tables

If you have a long table that spans several pages, you can:

• add column headings that will appear at the top of each page

• insert page breaks to start particular rows at the tops of pages.

Note

You won't see these in normal display mode. You will see them in page width or presentation mode and when you print.

Adding repeating column headings

To make the first row of a table act as column headings which repeat at the top of each page:

1 Click anywhere in the table.

2 Choose Format > Format Table.

3 Select "First row is header".

Inserting page breaks in tables

To specify a row that is to start on the top of the next page:

1 Select the row or a cell within the row.

2 Choose Format > Format Cells.

3 Select "Row starts new page".

Note

If you paste text containing page breaks into a table, FirstClass ignores those page breaks. But you can insert a page break into text that is already in a cell, and FirstClass will select "Row starts new page" for the row containing that cell.

Copying and pasting tables

If you copy a table from FirstClass or an external application that supports rich text format (.rtf), it will automatically paste into FirstClass content as a table.

Note

You can copy a FirstClass table and paste it into a .rtf file in another application.

How your selection affects what is copied

When you copy from a table, your selection determines what gets copied.

If you selected

This happens

a single cell or content from a single cell

the cell or content is copied without the table

multiple cells or the whole table

those cells and their contents are copied as a table

How your selection affects what is pasted

When you paste, your selection at the time you paste determines what happens.

If you

This happens

just clicked where you wanted to paste

The copied material is inserted there.

If the copied material is a table, it is pasted as a new table.

You can also use this method to insert rows/columns into an existing table.

selected an entire table (or tables)

The copied material replaces your selection.

selected multiple cells, and your copied material is a table

The contents of the selected cells are replaced with the contents of the copied cells.

You can use this method to replace, for example, the contents of a row in one table with the contents of a row from another table.

Note

FirstClass will only replace the contents of the same number of cells as you copied. If you copied fewer cells than you select for pasting, the contents of the extra selected cells are deleted. If you copied more cells than you select for pasting, the extra copied cells are
ignored.

If your copied material isn't a table, it is pasted into the first selected cell, and the contents of the other selected cells are deleted.

Pasting delimited text as a table

You can also paste text that is tab, comma, or paragraph delimited as a FirstClass table. To do this:

An object can contain picture files that are embedded directly in the content. If FirstClass supports the file type of an embedded file, the file contents are displayed; otherwise, a placeholder is displayed.

Note

You can also embed other types of files, such as text files and sound files. As is the case for pictures, FirstClass will indicate these files with a placeholder if it can't display their contents.

To see a description of an embedded picture (if one was supplied), display the picture or placeholder's tooltip.

About thumbnails

Embedded pictures are shown as thumbnails (resized versions) if:

• they are very small or resized to 25% or less of their original size

• they are large, and you have "Thumbnail large images" set in your preferences

• the authors specified that those particular pictures be shown as thumbnails when they were embedded.

Hiding embedded pictures

When FirstClass is first installed, embedded pictures are shown by default. If you want to speed up the time it takes to open objects containing pictures, you can hide these pictures by default. When you hide pictures, they are indicated by placeholders.

To

Do this

hide embedded pictures

Thumbnailed pictures will still be displayed.

Clear "Always show embedded images" in your preferences.

show all hidden embedded pictures in an object

Choose View > Show Images with the object open.

show a specific embedded picture, or any other embedded file that FirstClass is not able to display

If FirstClass does not support the format of the file, it tries to open the file using the application associated with it on your computer. For example, a .cdr file is opened in CorelDRAW®, if you have
this application.

Note

If you set your preferences to hide embedded pictures, then show pictures in a particular object, this is just a temporary view. The next time you open this object, the pictures are hidden again.

Opening pictures in the viewer window

FirstClass lets you open an embedded picture in a separate viewer window. To do this, double-click the picture.

Note

If you double-click a placeholder, and the embedded file can be viewed by another application on your computer, the file is automatically opened in that application.

In the viewer window, you can control how the file is displayed, and print and save the file. If there is room, the picture is displayed at its original size.

To

Do this

rotate the display

Choose View > Image > Rotate Left or Rotate Right.

resize the display

If you don't resize the display, any embedded pictures that were resized or thumbnailed are shown at their original size.

Choose View > Image, then the appropriate menu command.

You can also click Use Zoom Tool, then click the display to enlarge it. To make this display smaller again, Control-click (Windows) or Option-click (Mac) while the Use Zoom Tool control is still active.

Shortcut

Resizing the viewer window makes the display grow or shrink to fit, if Image > Fit to Window is selected.

pan a display that is larger than the viewer window

Click Use Hand Grab Tool, then drag the display to see the parts that are hidden.

select an area of the display for copying to the clipboard

Click Use Select Tool, then click and drag over the area, starting at the top left corner of the area you want to select. Release the cursor when you are at the bottom right corner of the area.

A selection marquee is displayed around the area.

select the whole display

Choose Edit > Select All.

print the file

Choose File > Print or click the Print toolbar button.

If you chose File > Print, the Print Layout form opens, allowing you to specify how you want to print the file.

Note

Any changes that you make on the Print Layout form are not saved as defaults when you open this form using File > Print.

Saving embedded files

To save an embedded file to your computer:

1 Click the picture or placeholder to select it.

2 Choose File > Save Attachment.

3 Select the folder where you want to save the file.

The file is saved in the format in which it was embedded.

Embedding pictures

To embed a picture into your content, use one of the following methods:

• drag the picture or a picture file to the body

• copy the picture to the clipboard, then choose Edit > Paste or Paste Special

• click the location in the body where you want the picture to appear, then choose Edit > Insert > Insert File.

How pictures are embedded

The file format of an embedded picture depends on how you embedded the picture.

If the picture was embedded by

The picture file format is

choosing Insert File

the same format as the original

You can use this method to preserve a file format not available when pasting, such as GIF.

choosing Paste, or dragging the picture to the content

the best format as determined by FirstClass (either .png or .jpg), as a thumbnail

For example, photographs paste as .jpg.

choosing Paste Special

the format that you chose when you pasted the picture.

In the case of .jpg files, the file resolution and size depend on the "JPEG quality" value you chose on the Paste Special form.

Tip

If your content has a background, and you want your embedded picture to be transparent, embed the picture as .png, and don't make it a thumbnail.

Changing picture properties

You can change the following properties of an embedded picture:

• the picture size

Shortcut

Drag the borders of a selected picture to resize it.

You can also thumbnail the picture.

• the picture alignment (right, left, or aligned within the text so that the picture flows along the line with the text)

• the width of the blank space (padding) around the picture

If the picture is in a paragraph by itself, you can also adjust the spacing above it by changing the paragraph spacing.

You can also change the properties of a placeholder for an unsupported file type. Choose Format > Format Embedded File to open the Format Embedded File form (which is similar to the Format Image form).

Embedding pictures as thumbnails

If you have an overly large picture to embed, you can embed a thumbnail of it to make it display faster.

Thumbnailing doesn't change the size at which the picture embeds. You control the size of the embedded thumbnail just as you do the size of any other embedded picture. Thumbnailing also doesn't affect the size of the picture when opened in the viewer window.

To thumbnail an embedded picture:

1 Select "View image as thumbnail" on the Format Image form.

You can also specify the thumbnail quality. The higher the quality, the bigger the file size will be, and the longer the picture will take to display.

Note

The file size bears no relation to the size at which you view the embedded picture.

2 Specify the size at which you want to view the thumbnail at "View size".

Thumbnailing pictures automatically

If you want to thumbnail all embedded pictures over a certain size, you can use your preferences instead of the Format Image form.

Select "Thumbnail large images" and specify the maximum width and height an embedded picture can be before FirstClass will automatically thumbnail it and resize it to the size you specify in your preferences.

Playing embedded sound files

To play an embedded sound file in editable content, choose Play from the context menu. To stop playback, choose Stop from the context menu.

To play the sound file in uneditable content (for example, a sent message), click

To stop playback, click

or the symbol used on your system for Stop.

To open the sound file in a separate voice player window, double-click it. You can adjust the volume from this window.

Embedding sound files

You can embed sound files in content, and users can play them directly from the embedded files.

Sound files can be in the formats: WAV, AIFF, GSM-610, and MP3. WAV and AIFF files can contain many audio formats, such as PCM, ADPCM, IMA-ADPCM, MULaw, A-LAW, and so on.

To embed a sound file, drag the file into your content just as you would a picture file:

Formatting placeholders

You can format the placeholder for an embedded sound file just as you can an embedded picture. To open the Format Sound Clip form, choose Format > Format Sound Clip.